Trusted Friendship - Edited
by hopper18
Summary: what if there was a real Dain? Story of his reunion and parting with his friends
1. The fight

**It's a bit late for this but I decided to do some editing to this story. Those who still read this piece of work, please give me some opinion. I'll be really grateful.**

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><p>Lief sprinted the length of the corridor.<p>

"I'm an Ol, Lief"

Those words were echoing in his ears as he ran as fast as he could toward the top of the tower. Dain is an Ol. Lief couldn't believe it. He had thought of Dain as one of his best friends. He trusted Dain. And yet, Dain betrayed them all. Their friendship was all a lie from the start.

Lief remembered the day Dain saved them from the Ols. The memory made Lief feel hurt and ashamed. He should never have trusted anyone that easily, especially after having been warned of these shape-shifting monsters. There were ambushes wherever they went, too many of them to have been coincidences. There was obviously a spy who was close enough to them to be able to know their every move. How come he didn't see it before?

One more door and he would have to fight face to face with Dain at last. Lief stopped, took a deep breath and open it. There was his opponent, holding the belt with his knife. Dain no longer wore his friendly expression as he always did. Lief could only sense coldness and cruelty behind those purple eyes. There was absolutely no trace of the boy he knew.

"Give me back the belt!" shouted Lief

"Why should I? You must have known you'll have to fight for it" smirked the Ol, waving the dagger from which the belt was hanging in a mocking motion.

Lief held his sword in front of him, his grip tightened.

"You deceived us!"

"You were just too naïve and stupid. It was so easy to lure you into our trap. Your friends are struggling for their lives and I dare say they don't have much hope. Doom is already down, isn't he?"

Lief felt himselt boiling with anger, at both the traitor in front of him and at himself. They were the reason for his comrades having to fend for their lives at the moment, and if any of them died, their death would be totally in vain, as would their whole journey if he lost here. With a loud cry, he charged in. He attacked the Ol furiously, slashing and stabbing every bit of the enemy his sword could reach, but it looked like he didn't do any damage. At the places the blade struck, the Ol's human skin gave way to some sort of rock-like scale without any sign of having so much as a scratch. The creature was practically standing still for him to hit, his still human face wearing a taunting smirk, his hand still keeping the belt out of Lief's reach. Aiming straight for the Ol's heart, Lief thrust his sword, but just like the rest of the Ol's body, it was like hitting steel. Grinning maniacally, the Ol began his counterattack. Using his now fully mutated arm as a weapon, the Ol made one powerful swipe at Lief and the latter was forced to bring his sword up as a shield. The impact when the hit made contact sent Lief staggering back several step. He jumped in again, but with his attack leaving no damage, this fight was pretty much one-sided with him at the losing end. The Ol switched to a lower aim, targeting Lief's leg. He immediately dodged, but the Ol was just too quick for him. His right leg was grasped and he felt himself being helplessly slammed onto the ground, his sword bounced out of his hand at the fall and landed several steps away. His arm reached out in a desperate attempt to retrieve the weapon, but he hadn't even come close when a cold hand clamped around his neck and slowly lifted him into the air. Lief couldn't breath. He swung his legs wildly, his hands clawing at the Ol's grip without much effect. As his struggling got weaker and weaker, Lief realized the cold truth that he was going to die at this place.

"Is this the end?"

Lief's vision was getting blurry, he was holding onto the Ol's arm with only one hand, the rest of his body going limp when he heard the sound of the door being blasted open. Someone came running in. Out of the corner of his eyes, Lief could see that it was a Grey Guard.

"What are you doing here?" the Ol barked at the new arriver. Clearly the creature hadn't expected their fight to be interrupted in this manner. The Grey Guard stood frozen at the threshold for a moment, seemingly taking in the scene in front of him. What came next was absolutely unexpected for both Lief and the Ol.

The guard unsheathed his sword and came running in. Lief closed his eyes and braced himself for the metal to sink through his body. It never came. Instead, the grip that was strangling him was loosening its hold, and Lief was dropped to the ground. Gasping for breath, what he saw happening sent his head reeling. The Grey Guard was attacking the Ol with all his might, forcing his opponent to release its previous prey to fend off the surprise assault. Spotting his sword, Lief snatched it and made another aim for the Ol's heart but the result was the same as the last ones. He dodged another attack and saw something flying his way. He grasped it by instinct, and only when he held the object securely in his hand did he recognize it. He blinked. It's was the belt. Somehow, in the midst of the battle, the Grey Guard had managed to snatch it from the Ol's grasp, and for some unknown reason, decided to pass it over to him. Taking what could very well be his last chance at victory, Lief, with a lightning-fast motion, tied the belt around the Ol's waist. The effect was immediate.

"No!" screamed the Ol. Its face twisted in pain. Abandoning both of its enemies, it reached for the belt, trying to pry the offending object off his body. Grabbing the opportunity, Lief plunged the sword into the wailing Ol's chest. This time, the sword sunk in and went all the way through.

"Arghhhh!" The Ol was writhing. It pulled out the sword and swung it away, but the damage was done. Its body was starting to quickly disintegrate and its feet had melted into a mud-like liquid. Its hand, however, was slowly changing back into a human hand.

"We could've been friend" pleaded the Ol, holding out his hand. Its face was still that of the boy Lief had called his friend, and now without malice. Looking back at this moment in later years, Lief would still questioned himself just why he fell for it. Now, however, he thought that somehow, Dain had returned. Leaning in closer, Lief held out his own hand.

"Lief! No!" For the first time, the Grey Guard spoke. And it clearly wasn't a Guard's voice. Lief didn't even have time to wonder why that voice sounded too familiar. The hand with which the Ol was holding out transformed again and it made a dash for Lief, who was stunned. He couldn't move. There was no way he could dodge in time. At the very last second, he felt a hand pushing him out of the way. Landing facedown on the ground from the force, Lief quickly turned around and to his astonishment, saw the Grey Guard standing there with the Ol's hand pierced through him. He watched, as if in slow emotion, the rest of the Ol dissolved and the Guard crumpled onto the ground, unmoving, blood pooling around him. Without knowing why, dread filled his chest as he looked at the body in front of him. Scrambling to his feet, Lief rushed to the Guard's side and removed the helmet with trembling hands, then gasped as a familiar face came into view. It was Dain.


	2. Death

For one wild moment Lief wondered whether if he should finish off the person lying in front of him. He was turning his gaze from Dain's face to the remains of the Ol that had just been killed and back again. His heart was hammering again his ribcage and his brain was refusing to comprehend the sight before his eyes. Unable to process the situation, he just sat there, paralyzed, until he felt his hand touched something warm and held it up. It was covered in red. Blood.

He was jolted back into motion as if struck by lightning. He didn't know why, or how, but the Ol was dead, yet the Dain he knew was still here, wounded, dying. That last phrase fully dragged Lief back to reality and he quickly came closer to his fallen friend while assessing the damage. It was really bad. The wound went all the way through and from it, blood was gushing out in an alarming amount. Lief panicked. He was no healer, and even if Jasmine was here, it might already be too late. He tore up the cape he was wearing and fastened it around Dain's wound but the blood was quickly seeping through. He used both of his hands to put pressure on the wound, feeling Dain's life spilling from under his finger.

"Dain, hang on!"

Lief shook Dain and desperately called his name, searching for a sign of consciousness without success. The boy's labored breath could be clearly heard, and it just served to send Lief further into despair. Dain's skin was losing its color, becoming pale white and was cold to the touch.

"Please wake up! You still have to tell me what happened. Don't die! I'm begging you!"

Lief was shouting now. He cradled Dain's body into his chest, desperate for any reaction, anything. He all but jumped when Dain's hand feebly grasped his sleeve.

Dain slowly opened his eyes, but the pain was blinding him. Every breath was a struggle. He tried to move somehow, but his limbs just weren't obeying him. His body felt really cold and stiff. He felt strangely light-headed. He could hear Lief's voice sounding as though it came from somewhere far-away and tried to reply, but it was a difficult task when you didn't have enough air.

"Lief…."

Lief's small amount of relief at hearing Dain's voice disappeared instantly when the latter started to cough up blood. He did the only thing he could think of, which was heaving Dain onto his back and started walking back to the place where everyone else was.

"I will bring you to Jasmine. She is good with healing. You'll be okay!" He said the sentence without any conviction in his voice. Deep inside, he knew it was a futile attempt. He wouldn't be able to make it in time and Dain was too far gone even for Jasmine's skill. "He'll be alright, he'll be alright" Lief kept repeating the words in his mind to keep himself calm, although he knew it was false. He went as fast as his leg could carry, all the while feeling Dain's growing colder and colder.

"Lief… I'm so sorry...!" whispered Dain

"What for?"

"I was captured… on my way… to Withick Mire… I...dragged you all into… this trap…"

_So he was captured_. Lief bitterly thought. He abandoned a friend and had no idea what he had done. The pain and guilt he heard in Dain's voice just magnified his own guilt. Dain felt responsible for this, when it should be him. He was unable to recognize the imposter. He let Dain being imprisoned and gave the Ol the chance to trick them.

"This is none of your fault! You didn't have to save me. I will never forgive myself if you die!"

Dain was fighting to stay conscious. It was a losing battle, but he had to explain to Lief.

"I managed… to get out… of the cell and… kill a Grey Guard… I had… to come to the fight… I had to help…"

Lief felt helpless. His shirt was drenched in Dain's blood and Dain's breathing was fading, and they were still nowhere near their allies.

"Don't die! You are the heir, you mustn't die!" shouted Lief

"No… Lief... They questioned… me… They told me… about the meeting… The belt … reacted and I... wasn't there… It isn't me…"

"Even so, please hang in there! Please!" Lief didn't care anymore. Whether or not Dain was the heir didn't matter to him. He was losing a friend who had saved his life and was now going to die. Lief couldn't stand that. Dain's voice was getting smaller and it scared him. While repeating the word "please" without even remembering its meaning, he struggled to force down his tear.

Dain had reached his limit. The wound no longer hurt. In fact, he couldn't feel or see anything anymore. His sight consisted of only darkness. He could tell he was moving, but even the contact with the body that was supporting his he couldn't tell anymore. He has no strength left. He was very tired and sleepy, his head was empty. No coherent thought formed in his mind. He tried to stay awake, but he forgot why he did. He was giving into the oblivion that had begun to take over. But there was something he still had to say, something very important. Drawing his last breath, he managed to mutter a few words

"Tell… everyone… goodbye… for… me…"

Lief bit down on his lip so hard he could taste metallic blood in his mouth, but tear was already flowing down his chin. Dain's arm flung limply beside him. He put Dain's body down and tried to shake the boy awake. He shouted into Dain's ear and even slapped him, all the while knowing that no matter what he did, Dain wouldn't wake up ever again, and he would never be able to answer. Then Fallow's voice rang out of nowhere.

"Your friends have been captured, boy. Bring that belt to the throne room if you value their lives."

Looking back at Dain once more, knowing he was powerless to do anything, Lief arranged his body into a more comfortable position and brushed the tear away from his eyes, his fist clenched tightly, trying and failing to stop himself from shaking. He muttered.

"I'll come back for you"

And Lief ran to the throne room without looking back, still grieving at Dain's death.


	3. Memories

Doom walked around the castle ground as usual. He liked to be alone so he often wandered at night when everyone else had gone to sleep. He was tossing a coin, thinking about other stuff. Suddenly, the coin slipped his hand and rolled on the ground into a large pile of broken bricks. It had only been a month since the Shadow Lord was defeated and they hadn't repaired all the damage yet. Doom stooped down, pushed a few bricks aside and saw his coin lying next to something. He recognized it immediately. Dain's pendant gleamed red in the moonlight.

_**A small boy ran toward a man, sobbing.**_

_**"Doom, I cut myself again!"**_

_**"How are you going to learn how to fight if you can't even carve an arrow?" sighed the man.**_

_**"I'll try my best! Please teach me!" pleaded the boy**_

_**"Fine," said the man, wrapping bandage around the boy's fingers. "I'll show you how it's done".**_

Doom picked up the pendant. The small object drew out many memories he tried to bury. He saw it for the first time clutched in Dain's hand when Dain was fast asleep in a corner of the street. Doom took him in, made him a member of the Resistance, taught him swordsmanship, survival skills and many things more. Although Doom never admitted it, he had come to regard Dain as his son. He even felt more attached to Dain than his own daughter. Doom loved Jasmine very much, but they had been apart for a very long time. Doom remembered clearly that, after the final battle, they went to retrieve the bodies of those who had fallen and Lief led them to Dain. How the sight had pained him. Other than the fatal wound, the boy was covered in torture marks, clearly made during his stay in captivity. His left wrist was all bloody, which Doom recognized as a wound made by handcuff. They must have chained him to the wall and the damage to his hand was from him pulling on the chain. The metal cut deep into the skin and with a pang to his heart, Doom realized that it was because Dain had been in a haste to escape, to warn them all about the Ol. And Doom knew from his many years spent with the boy that even when staring death in the face, Dain's thought was focused on how to ensure all of his friends' safety. They made a small grave for Dain where everyone could come and visit. Doom still blamed himself for not being able to distinguish the Ol from the real Dain. If only he had known, he might have been able to save Dain.

Doom put the pendant inside his pocket and went back to the castle, his mind full of thought.


	4. Longing

Today was one of Lief's rare free days. Being the king was certainly hard, especially in those times with the kingdom in such a bad state. The Shadow Lord may have gone, but the damage he did to the country couldn't be fixed easily. That left Lief with a mountain of work-load: ceremonies to hold, meetings to attend, decisions to make. And on top of that, huge piles of paperwork waiting that made Lief sigh just thinking about them. So he was really glad that he finally got a chance to get some fresh air.

Now what to do, Lief wondered. Jasmine had gone out for a small trip and Barda was busy training new soldiers. It not like he can roam around the city like he used to, else everyone in the castle would go ballistic looking for him. Perhaps a little stroll would do. Lief set off. He walked aimlessly, but somehow his legs lead him onto a familiar road and before he knew it, he was standing on the grassy path just near the castle gate, a spot where there was a good view of the city, in front of a new grave, the grave of one of his friends.

Dain's grave.

"_Here lies Dain_

_Member of the Resistance_

_A true friend"_

Lief traced the words engraved on the tombstone with his fingers.

"_Hello Dain"_ he whispered softly _"It's been a while"_

He paused as if waiting for an answer, and when none came, he continued

"_Sorry I can't visit you often. I'm very busy. Doom forces me to do all kind of work everyday. You know how he gets"_

Lief kept on talking into the silence.

"_Everything's fine here. There are many things to deal with but we'll manage. I'm trying my best. The castle's so lively now. If only you can be here…"_

The words caught in his throat. How many times had he thought of that sentence? He knew that the reason why he didn't come to this place had nothing to do with work at all. It was really because every time he laid his eyes on this grave, he couldn't help but thinking about what could have happened if Dain hadn't died. If he had known Dain was captured, if he hadn't fallen for the Ol's trick. He could see it clearly in his mind, having picture it over and over again. They would be fighting the Shadow Lord alongside everyone else. Then Lief would explain everything and Dain would be forgiven. Well, maybe not Doom. He would inspect Dain with all sorts of Ol tests he could probably think of and, after he was finally convinced, Lief could already hear one of Doom's long and stern lectures about "letting your guard down" and "train harder" ringing. The thought made Lief almost laugh out loud, but at the same time made his eyes sting and his heart feel like it was being squeezed. No matter how many times he wished, there was just no way to turn the stone in front of him into Dain, there was no way to bring him back. Yet Lief still found himself imagining that at this very moment, Dain could be walking right beside him, had he been able to save his friend that day.

Lief took one last look at the grave before heading back.


	5. Lingering soul

"Please be careful!"

"Honestly Jasmine, your father is not that weak"

Doom had to go on a trip to exterminate some leftover monsters and Jasmine seemed to be overly worried about him. She didn't want to lose her father again. However, Doom found her care a bit strange since she wouldn't even stand near him not too long ago.

"I'll only be gone for one week. I know how to take care of myself you know!"Doom said with a note of exasperation in his voice

"But I'm worried!"

Doom put his face in his hand. This was a bit harder than he first thought. He reached inside his pocket.

"Okay, then take this" Doom handed her a small bottle with some water in it

"What is it?"Jasmine asked

"I took some water from the Fountain of Dream. This way you can check up on me. But now I really have to go" Doom jumped onto his horse and went off before Jasmine could voice out any protest.

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><p>It had only been four days and Jasmine was already sick with worrying. Horrible scenarios kept flashing in front of her eyes and despite Lief's insistence that Doom was fine, Jasmine just couldn't be assured. So that night, she drank some of the Fountain water and tried to keep her mind on her father. She only found out about his relationship with her a few weeks ago. She even used to hate him. So, for Jasmine to feel protective over him seemed strange even to her. She smiled as she remembered Doom back at then with his serious face and Dain tagging after him. Dain… Jasmine felt a twinge of sadness at the name. She had always had some feeling for him. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, how she was sorry that she believed him to be a traitor, how she regretted having left him alone. And when the peacefulness of sleep overcame her, the last thing she thought was how she wanted to see him again.<p>

Jasmine opened her eyes minutes later, but she wasn't anywhere near Doom like she expected. She was standing outside the castle, and she wasn't alone. Someone else was striding along the wall. Jasmine moved closer, her hand reaching for her dagger when she realized it wasn't there. That was right, she reminded herself, she wasn't really here so it didn't matter if she did come closer, whoever it was wouldn't be able to see her. Taking a few step closer, she finally made out the face illuminated by the moonlight, and on recognizing who it was, she staggered back in shock.

"Dain!"

The figure turned around. Jasmine half expected him to vanish and turning out to be nothing than her imagination. But no, he was definitely there, every bit the boy she had always remembered, and he was staring at her with a surprised expression.

"Is… Is that really you?" Jasmine stammered, her eyes filled with tear. He looked solid, a real person instead of the grave stone she had visited so many times

"Jasmine…"

Jasmine threw herself forward to hug Dain but lost her balance and stumbled when her hands went right through him. Straightening up, it took her a few seconds before she understand what was going on. Dain looked at her with a sad smile on his face

"You…you are a spirit…" Jasmine stammered.

"Yes, but… how can you see me?" Jasmine could see panic growing on his face at his dawning realization of what it could imply and quickly cut him off before he got any wrong idea.

"I drank water from the Fountain of Dream. Right now I'm walking around as a soul"

"I see…" Dain visibly relaxed.

They stared at each other's eyes. Jasmine was overcome with emotion. She couldn't believe that Dain was standing right in front of her. There were many things she wanted to say to him, yet couldn't bring herself to. The words just got caught in her throat. As if sensing her thought, Dain smiled.

"Do you wanna talk?"

Jasmine nodded quietly. They sat down together on the grass. Spending a few seconds to gather her wit, she asked

"How were you captured?"

"They snuck up behind me and knocked me out. I didn't even know what happened. Pathetic, isn't it?" Dain chuckled humorlessly. He had a pained look on his face and at Jasmine's gaze, he turned away.

"It wasn't your fault, Dain." Jasmine said, knowing that he was feeling guilty "If anything, it's ours."

"I tried to get away, but I was too late. If I had just been a little quicker…" Dain lamented bitterly

"You should've stayed in the prison and wait for us. Have you any idea how we felt when you died like that?" Jasmine inquired, her voice thick with emotion.

"If I was capable of protecting myself, many people wouldn't have been hurt. I couldn't just stand and watch you know? I want to protect my friends!"

"You saved Lief, Dain. And for that you saved everyone. Stop blaming yourself." Jasmine brought her hand up to touch Dain's shoulder, but her fingers just went right through. She withdrew placed it back down onto her lap. Then something occurred to her.

"If I can meet you, can I meet my mother like this too?" She asked hopefully

"No" Dain shook his head with an apologetic expression. "She had gone to another world. I'm still here because I want to do something"

"What is it?" inquired Jasmine.

"I haven't had a chance to find my parents, so I decided to at least take along the pendant they gave me. Since you threw it away, I thought it would be okay for me to have it back"

At his words, Jasmine felt a pang of guilt. She had completely forgotten that she had thrown it away. And Dain knew that she had.

"I'm sorry…" she said in a small voice. That day, in her fit of rage, she had flung Dain's precious pendant away and never even thought about retrieving it.

"I don't blame you" Dain consoled her "I know why you did it, and I would have done it too if I were you."

"But still, that was no excuse…" Jasmine's sentence was suddenly cut off by a loud crash sounding in the distance. Her sight blurred. The scenery as well as Dain was going in and out of focus.

"What's happening?" shouted Jasmine, confused

"You are waking up!" even Dain's voice was starting to sound muffled

"Dain, I'll definitely find that pendant for you, I promised!" she cried out, trying to keep her eyes on the fading figure that was Dain.

"Thank you, Jasmine"

Jasmine found herself inside her room seconds later. Apparently a maid broke a vase outside her door. She normally wouldn't care something that trivial, but at that moment she felt quite angry at the girl. Getting out of her bed, she looked at the place where they were just sitting from her window and she knew that Dain was still there, probably looking up at her.


	6. Chapter 5

_"What are you looking for?"_ asked Doom, who was standing with his arms crossed, watching as Jasmine was rummaged around the flower bed for the umpteenth time.

_"Huh?"__ Jasmine lifted her head and looked at her father. Her hands were covered in dirt and quite a few scratches._

**"I'm asking you. You've been doing nothing but foraging the castle lately"**

Jasmine had indeed been searching the castle since her meeting with Dain. She searched and searched, she retraced her steps, she even dug up the soil at the battle site, but her effort so far was in vain. She had begun to wonder if the pendant hadn't just disappeared into nothing.

_"Tell me. May be I can help you"__ Doom had a frown on his face and Jasmine knew he wouldn't just let it drop. She threw her hands up in defeat._

**"Alright! I'm searching for a pendant that I threw away. I'm sure it is around here, but I can't find it!"**

Doom remained silence for a few seconds, his face morphing into an expression Jasmine couldn't discern. Then

_"Is it Dain's pendant?"_ he said quietly.

Jasmine froze in place and Doom knew he had hit the mark. His daughter whirled around to look at him.

_"How __do__ you know?"_

_"You should have asked me sooner. I'm keeping it, but what do you need it for?"_

Jasmine hesitated, but then she told Doom all about her meeting with Dain in the dream.

_"So you're telling me that he is around here right now?"__ Doom's brows rose questioningly_

_"Dad, you don't believe me, do you?"__ Of course, her words sounded ridiculous even to her ears. But still, thinking that her father doubted her enraged her somehow._

_"You know I trust you, Jasmine__. Besides…__"__ he added in a sad voice "…if he truly was here, then…" he trailed off with a faraway look on his face. _

_"So, where did you put it?"_

Doom led Jasmine to his room and pulled out a small box which he had placed carefully in the wardrobe next to his bed. Holding it carefully like it was her lifeline, she pressed it against her chest.

"Finally, I can return it to you, Dain."


	7. Farewell

Lief, Jasmine, Barda and Doom gathered around Dain's grave. Today, all of Dain's closest friends were here. Jasmine stepped forward. She kneeled down and pulled out her knife, dug a small hole in the earth mound and carefully placed the box in it before covering it. She gently put her hand on the gravestone and whispered to it.

"Here. I'm giving it back"

"So you found it" said a voice from behind, startling them all. They swung around. Standing there and glowing faintly was Dain, transparent but otherwise looked exactly like what they remember.

"It is you!" cried Lief. And just like Jasmine had done before, he threw himself forward Dain only to go right through. Dain regarded the gesture with a sad eyes, but he was smiling gently nonetheless.

"Yes…"

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you find your parents" said Jasmine regretfully.

"It's alright. If they're dead, I'll find them. But if they are still alive, then I can wish them and my friends a happy life."

"I don't want you to leave!" Lief pleaded "There are many things I still want you to see. Please stay here!"

But Dain just shook his head.

"We'll meet again Lief, in sixty years or so."

"But…"

"It's alright." Dain looked around at the people around him. Jasmine was gazing at him with teary eyes, Barda had a grim face, and Doom gave him a small nod when their eyes caught "You made me happy by coming here. I wanted to find the pendant, but I guess I also really want to meet and talk to you all again. Now I can say this properly" Turning back to Lief, Dain smiled "Goodbye, and thank you for everything"

Following those last words, Dain simply vanished into thin air, like he was never there. Lief stared at the place where Dain had just disappeared

"Yeah, goodbye… You'll always be my best friend, Dain"

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><p><strong>So, is this story any better?<strong>


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